Kansas boy survives a gruesome attack by his neighbor’s dog but faces a long recovery

A young boy faces a months-long recovery after he was attacked by a neighbor’s German shepherd mix.

Chance Orozco, 10, lived with his grandmother in rural Finney County when he went next door to ask to play with a friend on Dec. 5. Now he’s recovering at an Aurora, Colo., hospital and faces months of reconstructive surgery. A relative told local media that he has a wound the size of a “golf ball” on the back of his head that doctors continue to try to patch up.

He’s still unable to speak as of early January, and he’s too weak to raise his hand to write messages on a dry-erase board.

The day he suffered his injuries, Chance arrived at his friend’s home but was told the boy was sleeping. So Chance headed back home.

As he trekked through the yard, a dog tethered to a tree attacked Chance, who suffered severe injuries to his face and neck, according to Finney County Undersheriff John Andrews.

Chance was discovered, with the dog still biting him, about 20 minutes later. A 911 caller reported the bloodied boy was “down and not breathing,” according to The Garden City Telegram.

“It’s an absolutely horrible, unfortunate accident,” Andrews said.

Capt. Randy Mosher of the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the scene, The Telegram reported. He immediately began treating Chance for a major head wound.

Chance could answer basic questions — such as the name of his elementary school — but he “didn’t understand what was going on.”

Even so, “he was an extremely strong boy. I never did see him cry,” Mosher said. “I’m the captain for the Highway Patrol out here, and I’ve been on 32 years so I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff, and this was a very traumatic scene.”

A GoFundMe account to defray the family’s medical expenses had nearly reached a goal of $5,000 as of Thursday morning.

In addition to his major head wound, Chance lost his left ear, might lose vision in his left eye and has undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries. He faces “months and months” of additional treatment, according to the GoFundMe account.

His family has “limited medical insurance.”

“This is going to be (a) long road and require lots of financial help for Chance and his family,” wrote Patrick Nakfoor, who created the account.

It’s unclear why the dog, which was euthanized, attacked Chance.

The family told The Telegram that they believe the owners should be held accountable in some way.

“That dog was taught to attack,” said Stephen Orozco, Chance’s father.

Orozco said the family is seeking more prayers.

“If people want to donate, that’s fine,” he said. “We’re not asking for donations. If anything, we’re asking for prayers. Chance, as far as him recovering, he’s doing very well.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Kansas boy survives a gruesome attack by his neighbor’s dog but faces a long recovery."